Admiral's House, Colonial museum in Cusco, Peru

The Admiral's House is a colonial mansion in Cusco, now home to the Museo Inka of the Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco. It is one of Peru's earliest examples of Mannerist architecture, built around a single courtyard whose four sides have round and three-centred arches, with the staircase in the west wing. Its main doorway, set at the corner of Cuesta del Almirante and Ataúd street, is considered one of the finest in the city.

The house stands on the plot of the palace of Inca Huascar. After the Spanish founding of Cusco in 1535 the lot was granted to Diego de Almagro, then passed to Hernando Machicao and governor Juan Álvarez Maldonado. From 1629 to 1643 it belonged to Mariana Cornejo, wife of admiral Francisco Alderete Maldonado, whose crests were carved over the main door. In 1824 it lodged viceroy José de la Serna and in 1835 Andrés de Santa Cruz.

The name comes from Admiral Francisco Alderete Maldonado, whose wife Mariana Cornejo owned the house from 1629 to 1643. Two coats of arms carved above the main door belong to the Maldonado de Anaya and Alderete Maldonado families, framed by a panoply referring to his rank of admiral. The building now houses the Museo Inka of the Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco.

The building is located near the central plaza and is relatively easy to reach on foot. Visitors should expect occasionally uneven floors and steep stairs when exploring the different levels.

The two coats of arms above the main door belong to the Maldonado de Anaya (left) and Alderete Maldonado (right) families; a panoply around them refers to Francisco Alderete Maldonado's rank of admiral, the source of the house's name. The corner window is a ajimez with a two-faced herm, male and female, facing in and out.